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Okowa signs 2022 appropriation bill of N479bn

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Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Thursday in Asaba assented to the state’s 2022 budget of N479 billion.

The governor also signed five other bills, including the Delta State House of Assembly Service Establishment Bill 2021 and the Delta State Registration of Community Development Associations Bill 2021.

Others are Delta State Debt Management Bill 2021, Delta State Erosion and Watershed Management Bill 2021 and Asaba Specialist Hospital Bill, 2021.

While assenting to the bills, Okowa assured that the state would strive to implement capital projects embedded in the 2022 budget as well as complete all ongoing projects before the end of his tenure.

He commended the House of Assembly for the speedy passage of the appropriation bill and said that his assenting to it before the end of December would avail the state government the opportunity to further plan towards its implementation in January 2022.

“You just witnessed the signing into law of six bills that were passed by the House of Assembly this last quarter of the year, 2021.

“We thank God for the good work the House has done; the very important one is the Delta State Appropriation Bill 2022, now signed into law.

“I must thank the House for giving speedy attention to the bill because with the signing into law today, it will help us to plan and to start early in 2022.

“I do know that it went through the full legislative process and I must thank the House for the great job that it did which enabled us to pass the bill on the 30th of November.

“I want to reassure the people that we will continue to do our best. We are very much aware that there are financial challenges in the country today, but we will continue to do our best within the limits of the resources available.

“We are very much hopeful that there will be a turnaround in 2022, and I hope that we will be able to execute the capital projects that are contained in our budget, both the new ones and the ongoing before the end of our tenure,” he said.

On the Delta State Erosion and Watershed Management Agency Bill, Okowa said that the law would enable the government to tackle erosion and flooding issues in the state head-on.

“I want to also appreciate you for the passage of the Delta State Erosion and Watershed Management Agency Bill, signed into law today.

“We are very much aware that there is a lot of devastation in the ecosystem in some parts of our state. This is following through the advice that was given to us by the World Bank.

“We can now actually focus more in dealing with flood and erosion challenges across the state,’’ he said.

According to him, the Delta State House of Assembly Service Commission Amendment Bill is very important for the smooth running of the service of the House of Assembly.

On the Asaba Specialist Hospital Bill, the governor said that the law was very key to the effective management of the hospital to enhance universal health coverage in the state.

He said Delta State Debt Management Law sought to regulate and manage the state’s borrowing and debt portfolio in line with international best practices, explaining that “It seeks to establish the Debt Management Department in the Ministry of Finance.

Presenting the bills, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Chief Sherrif Oborevwori, said that they went through all legislative processes before being passed.

He said that with the timely presentation of the Appropriation Bill 2022 and its subsequent passage by the House, the state was on a good start for year 2022.

“I am confident that the budgetary provisions for 2022 will meet the yearnings of our people and the developmental needs of the state because it is indeed a realistic budget,” he said.

On the passage of Debt Management Bill, the speaker said the state had complied with the requirements of the World Bank’s State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Programme and the World Bank Disbursement guidelines.

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Okowa’s fear over Nigeria”s 2022 budget

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Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has expressed  fears over what he described as complexities inherent in Nigeria’s  2022 budget.

Okowa, who made the observation at a media briefing on Tuesday in Asaba, said that President, Mohammadu Buhari’s 2022 budget clearly showed that Nigeria may run into hard times.

He stated that his observation has become inevitable considering the N6 trillion earmarked  for both capital and  recurrent expenditures in the 2022 budget.

Okowa lamented that president Buhari’s N6 trillion budget for capital and recurrent expenditures, apparently would be served  with loans for capital projects.

According to him, “If N5 trillion would be removed for capital projects, the balance of N1 trillion would be insufficient for recurrent expenditures

“So, if you analyse it critically, you will see that with the current situation,  it portends a serious nightmare for Nigerians.

“There is a lot of complexity in the economy of this nation. The situation is not the best for Nigeria. Unfortunately, on many occasions we do not sit back to examine the Federal budget.

“If you examine the Federal budget and look into the issues of our borrowings at the moment as a Nation, every Nigerian would be very worried,” Okowa said.

According to him,  the federal government budget for 2022 is a little over N16 trillion and of the N16 trillion, N5 trillion is for capital expenditure while N6. 26 trillion of the budget is supposed to be borrowed.

Okowa said: “if the nation is spending N5 trillion on capital expenditure, the implications is that without borrowing, we cannot execute a singular capital project”

On the crisis in the NDDC,  the governor decried the delay by the federal government in constituting the board of the commission.

He said it was the prerogative right of the president to constitute the NDDC board, saying  that governors in the region would  continue to remind President Buhari of the need to constitute the board.

“The South-South Governors have made their position known recently and the federal government has continue to run the illegality.

“It is very unfortunate that the NDDC is being run in that manner; What we have at moment with regards to affairs at the NDDC is wrong.

“The budget of the NDDC is being run as it is not supposed to be and also, it is against the law that established the Board,” Okowa said.

Commenting on the three new universities in the state, he said that the National Universities Commission (NUC) has given approval for all the courses in university of Delta , Agbor and the Delta state university of Science and Technology, Ozoro.

The governor said that it is only the Osadebe  university, Asaba that is yet to get approval for its Arts faculty.

Okowa, also,used the opportunity to appeal to Nigerians and particularly residents of Delta to continue to wear face masks with the advent of the COVID-19-Omicron variant.

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Okowa commits to growing MSMEs in Delta

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Loveth Okoli

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has reaffirmed his commitment to the support and growth of Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) through the implementation of entrepreneurship development programmes in the state.

The governor disclosed this at the graduation of 437 pilot trainees of the state government’s Girls Entrepreneurship and Skills Training Programme (GEST), in Asaba.

He said that his administration would not relent in the endeavour until it achieved a critical mass of MSMEs that would drive economic diversification and business competitiveness in the state.

According to him, the results from other empowerment programmes of the state government, such as STEP and YAGEP. have fuelled the resolve of his administration to continue to invest in youths in the state.

“Six months ago, we began the journey of equipping our young women, between the ages of 18 and 30, with the knowledge and skills to become self-reliant and wealth creators, under the Girls’ Entrepreneurship and Skills Training (GEST) programme.

“Today, we are reaping the first fruits of our investment. Out of a total of 450 participants, 437 of them are to be resourced with the tools to start their enterprises.

“Thirteen of them could not make it for reasons ranging from truancy, to flunking the proficiency test. Still, with over 97 per cent success rate, it is a testament to the credibility of the selection process and quality of the training regime”.

Okowa thanked the staff of the Girl Child Empowerment Office, for their dedication and unwavering determination to see that the young women succeeded in life.

He said that a lot of small businesses, impacting directly on the family-economies, were springing up across the state and were helping in addressing youth unemployment.

“Not only have the lives of these beneficiaries changed, they are also training others, who then go on to become self-employed. In a few years to come, I am hopeful that Delta State will become the hub of MSMEs, as these enterprises break new grounds in the export market.

“I expect this pioneer group of GEST graduates to continue on the same path of success and innovation.

“My confidence is based on the fact that the training template is the same and has proved to be very enriching, enabling and empowering,’’ he said.

While congratulating the young entrepreneurs on their graduation from the GEST programme, the governor urged them to make it a priority to set goals for their businesses.

” Define your markets, keep learning, ensure proper book-keeping, strive for excellence and be persistent. You should also look for opportunities to develop multiple streams of income,” he said.

In his remarks, former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, said he was delighted to be at the ceremony, while commending Gov. Okowa for his inspiring achievements in infrastructure and human capital development.

He charged the graduands of the entrepreneurial training programme to remain focused and committed to their respective enterprises, saying that other states in the country would do well to emulate Delta.

Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Girl-Child Empowerment, Mrs Marilyn Okowa-Daramola, said that the GEST project was an initiative of the state government aimed at creating a new and vibrant generation of empowered and skilled young women.

She cited the women as those that would be equipped with necessary skills to turn around current circumstances of their families, disclosing that no fewer than 6,000 applications were received when the project was announced.

Okowa-Daramola, however, said that out of the figure, only 450 were selected from across the 25 local government areas of the state, as pilot trainees of the programme, after sifting for exams and interviews.

While congratulating the graduands, the governor’s aide urged them to understand that the new skills they had acquired attracted greater responsibilities, and that they should remain firm in their business endeavours.